Professor Claudia de Rham

To celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Royal Observatory, the team recreate history.
Chris interviews Professor Claudia de Rham about the most extreme regions of the cosmos - those that rip holes in space-time, where Einstein’s theory is destined to fail - sparking new theories of quantum gravity dating back to the birth of the universe itself. Can we say when the cosmological 'clock' started ticking?

A world-renowned physicist seeks gravity’s true nature, and finds wisdom in embracing its force in her life.

Find out the answer to Gravity's most asked questions.

Chris and Prof Claudia de Rham discuss how black holes break our understanding of physics, and suggest theoretical outcomes that make no sense.

Les Beaux Parleurs, Radio & Television Suisse.

En deuxième partie d'émission (mins 60:00), les beaux parleurs accueillent la physicienne Claudia de Rham.

Join New Scientist's celebration of the 100 years of Quantum Mechanics and the search of gravitons. 

In The Dark Energy Delusion, theoretical physicist Claudia de Rham explores the mysteries of gravity and the universe's accelerated expansion. She discusses Einstein's theory of general relativity and questions conventional views by addressing the problem of dark energy and proposing an alternative perspective on gravity’s reach. De Rham takes the audience through the cosmos, questioning whether gravity truly has an infinite reach and highlighting recent advancements in theoretical physics. She emphasizes the importance of upcoming experiments that could reshape our understanding of the universe.

Christophe Galfard reçoit Vimala Pons, performeuse, metteuse en scène et comédienne et Claudia de Rham, physicienne théoricienne, cosmologiste à l'Imperial College de Londres.

Claudia de Rham is a prominent theoretical physicist and a professor at Imperial College London, renowned for her pioneering research in modifying gravity theories. With a strong background in cosmology and gravitational physics, Claudia has significantly advanced our understanding of the universe’s fundamental forces.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b9...

The theoretical physicist Claudia de Rham explains why gravity is so fundamental to our understanding of everything in the universe. Read the full interview here. Video by Philipp Ammon & Jennifer Hsu for Quanta Magazine.

BEYOND EINSTEIN explores the wondrous implications of gravity pushed to the extreme.

Gravitational Rainbows: Much as a gentle mist can split light waves into beautiful rainbows, dark energy may split gravitational waves into deeply revealing gravitational rainbows. Leading researcher Claudia de Rham joins Brian Greene to explore this compelling possibility. This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Participants: Claudia de Rham Moderator: Brian Greene

Claudia de Rham, Raphael Bousso, and Bjørn Ekeberg discuss the biggest mistake Einstein made, and why it's still relevant now.

What does it mean to tinker with gravity itself, to tweak the force that we all feel? Claudia de Rham, an award-winning theoretical physicist and trained pilot, deep-sea diver and astronaut, takes us there. In this exclusive interview, she explores the enduring mystery of the cosmological constant

Claudia de Rham has spent much of her life dedicated to exploring the limits and true nature of gravity. As she describes in her new book, The Beauty of Falling, de Rham trained to be a pilot and then an astronaut. To demonstrate gravity’s effects, New Scientist took her indoor skydiving at iFLY London, explaining how gravity acts on every cell of your body in the same way. Yet, gravity still isn’t fully understood. It doesn’t fit into the mould of the other fundamental forces, and quantum theory can’t yet explain it. For her part, de Rham has sought to make progress by thinking deeply about gravitons, the hypothetical carrier of the force of gravity. Each of the fundamental forces is carried by an equivalent "boson" particle – some have zero mass, others have a very small mass. De Rham wanted to know: what is the graviton's mass?

Learn more ➤ https://www.newscientist.com/article/...

A special lecture hosted by Imperial Theoretical Physics and Imperial Institutional Events and chaired by Claudia de Rham to celebrate the naming of the Abdus Salam Library at Imperial. We welcome Professor Atish Dabholkar, the current Director of ICTP in Trieste, Italy, and Professor Brian Cox CBE, renowned science communicator as our key speakers. 

Que sait-on de la gravitation aujourd’hui ? Comment influence-t-elle notre quotidien et notre environnement ? Lors de cette « Campus Lecture » donnée le 30 septembre 2024 au Forum Rolex Learning Center, Claudia de Rham, chercheuse et professeure à l’Imperial College de Londres, a présenté ce que l’on sait aujourd’hui de la gravitation et comment son parcours personnel l'a menée à figurer parmi les chercheurs les plus influents de la dernière décennie dans le domaine de la physique fondamentale. La gravitation est l’un des phénomènes fondamentaux qui régit l’Univers, mais elle reste aujourd’hui encore profondément mystérieuse. Si la physique contemporaine parvient un jour à percer ses secrets, ce sera l’une des plus grandes révolutions du savoir scientifique. Lauréate d'un Alumni Award EPFL en 2017, Claudia de Rham raconte dans son ouvrage « La beauté de chute » ce que l’on sait aujourd’hui de ce phénomène et comment les plus grands esprits de la physique s'y ont dédiés. Elle y confie également les hauts et les bas de son parcours personnel, le chemin difficile au terme duquel elle est devenue l’une des physiciennes les plus renommées au monde.

As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! Earlier this year I approached a brilliant theoretical physicist about whether she would like to come on the podcast to speak about her favourite science fiction film but instead she wanted to speak to me about the science of the film Interstellar (2014). I apologise in advance for my own level of understanding of physics which is a mix of decades old lessons in school, a tiny handful of pop science books and a number of science fiction films. Interstellar was released ten years ago in November 2014. Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne was the main consultant to director Christopher Nolan on the science of the film which is packed with scientifically accurate scenarios (and a few scientifically fantastical ones too). The Guest Claudia de Rham is a theoretical physicist at Imperial College, London. Her expertise lies at the interface between Quantum Field Theory, Gravity, Gravitational Waves, Cosmology, Particle Physics, Numerical Simulations and Theoretical Mathematical Physics. She is also the author of the book The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community

Claudia de Rham discusses about a life in pursuit of gravity with google moderator and behavioral scientist Zara Brownless.

Join us on this episode of SparX as we welcome renowned theoretical physicist Dr. Claudia de Rham. Claudia shares inspiring stories from her journey, plus helps us understand how gravity affects space and time, what was the big bang, and more. Don't miss this enlightening conversation!

The Institute of Arts and Ideas, Hay-in-Wye festival

The Incredible Gravity of Being | Claudia de Rham in conversation with Mukesh Bansal

Mukesh Bansal is a first-generation tech entrepreneur who has played a critical role in shaping digital commerce growth in India over the last two decades. He is the founder of fashion e-commerce company, Myntra, and co-founder of CureFit, India’s largest health and fitness platform. Mr. Bansal is also an active investor in the tech startup ecosystem, via his venture studio Meraki Labs. He has been listed in the Best 40 Under 40 Entrepreneurs by Fortune magazine. Mukesh is the author of three books, No Limits, Hacking Health and The Startup Code and the host of the podcast SparX by Mukesh Bansal.

Claudia de Rham is professor of theoretical physics at Imperial College London, Director of the Abdus Salam Centre for Theoretical Physics, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is ranked among the most impactful researchers in fundamental physics of the past decade, and her contributions to science have been recognized by numerous grants and awards. She is the author of a popular science book The Beauty of Falling–A Life in Pursuit of Gravity, published with Princeton University Press in April 2024, and translated into multiple languages.

Gravity is the overarching miracle connecting everything, everywhere, forever in the Universe. But the brightest minds in physics are yet to uncover its secrets. At this year’s Festive Lecture, Professor Claudia de Rham, Imperial’s Professor of Theoretical Physics and Director of the Abdus Salam Centre for Theoretical Physics, invites you to join her on a captivating adventure navigating the different meanings of gravity and the lessons learned through a life in pursuit of gravity. With Professor de Rham, we’ll consider predicting our own fall and embracing free-fall (or more scientifically) how gravity manifests itself through the curvature of spacetime. We’ll think about universality, gravity’s well-hidden sense of humour and ask if gravity – the most subtle and delicate phenomenon known to exist – could ultimately end up being the most important ingredient in the whole Universe? About our speaker Professor Claudia de Rham researches gravity, particle physics and cosmology in pursuit of a more fundamental description of the nature of our Universe and the laws that govern it. Her work has provided new perspectives to understand the origin of the Universe, its accelerated expansion and the fundamental nature of gravity. Professor de Rham is ranked among the most impactful researchers in fundamental physics of the past decade and her contributions to science have been recognised by numerous grants and awards, including the Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award and the Adams Prize for contributions to Mathematics, the Blavatnik Award for Young Physicists in the UK and the Beate Naroska Senior Guest Professorship Award. In 2020, she was named as the Simons Investigator in Physics. Professor Claudia de Rham is also the author of the popular science book The Beauty of Falling – A Life in Pursuit of Gravity published with Princeton University Press in April 2024.

Measurements of a key parameter in cosmology do not agree. Is this the sign of exciting new physics, do we need to rethink some aspects of cosmology or is it just a measurement error? In this film, Nobel Prize winning physicist Adam Reiss, and George Efstathiou (who was the scientist chose to give the cosmology results for ESA's Planck Probe) are joined by astrophysicist Daniel Mortlock and theoretical cosmologist Claudia de Rham to discuss this latest puzzle for cosmology.

Conférence de Claudia de Rham, professeure au Imperial College de Londres et à la Faculté de sciences naturelles, Département de physique. La détection récente d’ondes gravitationnelles représente une nouvelle ère pour la science et une fenêtre ouverte sur notre Univers. Mais que savons-nous au juste sur le comportement de notre Univers et de la structure de l’espace aux échelles cosmologiques? Lors de cette conférence, il s’agira de voyager jusqu’aux extrémités de l’Univers observable et d’essayer d’éclairer les comportements de la gravitation. Il sera aussi question du rapport de la gravitation avec l’énergie sombre. Plusieurs observations ont trahi l’existence de cette dernière; elles montrent que l’Univers croît plus rapidement qu’il ne le devrait. Quelque chose de puissant s’oppose à la gravitation, quelque chose que les physiciens ont nommé l’énergie sombre. Comprendre la véritable nature de cette dernière, et son rapport avec la gravitation, devrait permettre de dessiner un scénario plus précis sur l’avenir de notre Univers lequel prendra peut-être la forme d’un grand déchirement.

Blog post with audio player, show notes, and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/...

Einstein's theory of general relativity has been our best understanding of gravity for over a century, withstanding a variety of experimental challenges of ever-increasing precision. But we have to be open to the possibility that general relativity -- even at the classical level, aside from any questions of quantum gravity -- isn't the right theory of gravity. Such speculation is motivated by cosmology, where we have a good model of the universe but one with a number of loose ends. Claudia de Rham has been a leader in exploring how gravity could be modified in cosmologically interesting ways, and we discuss the current state of the art as well as future prospects.

Most people have a basic understanding of gravity as the fundamental force that keeps us tethered to the Earth. They've likely even heard the fabled story of Isaac Newton’s inspiration for the theory: an apple falling from a tree. But few people have spent as much time grappling with gravity as Claudia de Rham, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London. In her recently released book, The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity, de Rham recounts not only her scientific investigations of gravity and the limits of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, but also her more practical encounters with gravity – as a diver, a pilot, and an astronaut candidate. In August 2024, Perimeter hosted an in-depth conversation with Claudia and Nahlah Ayed, host of CBC’s Ideas, followed by an audience Q&A. Through personal stories and scientific insights, de Rham shares her lifelong fascination with gravity and the relentless pursuit to uncover its secrets

Science & Cocktails presents an exciting event about the weakest force in the universe: gravity! Your guide into the unknown is Claudia de Rham, theoretical physicist and author of the book The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity

Issues with audio fixed at mins 2:30

In discussions with Tasneem Zehra Husain

Claudia de Rham is professor of theoretical physics at Imperial College London and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The recipient of numerous prizes and awards, she is ranked among the most influential researchers in fundamental physics of the past decade.

Tasneem Zehra Husain came to writing via theoretical physics. Prior to writing her popular science novel Only The Longest Threads, Tasneem received her PhD from Stockholm University - becoming Pakistan’s first female string theorist, - spent time as a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University, and was one of the founding faculty members at an elite school of science & engineering in her hometown, Lahore. Tasneem has spoken at writing conferences, physics conferences, and festivals, including the Boston Book Festival, the Cambridge Science Festival, and How The Light Gets In. She has conducted several science writing workshops including a series at CERN. Tasneem has been a regular columnist for 3quarksdaily.com and her writing has been published in Nautilus magazine and New Humanist magazine as well as several anthologies. She is a Fellow at the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement at Dartmouth College.

The acceleration of the expansion of the universe is one of the fundamental questions in cosmology. Scientists believe that dark energy is driving and accelerating the expansion; however, there is a discrepancy between the predicted amount of dark energy in the universe and our theoretical calculations based on the properties of fundamental particles. To get to the bottom of this, today's guest, Professor Claudia de Rham, proposed a new theory of "massive gravity" that could solve this “impossible” riddle.  Join us as we explore the true nature of gravity and the beauty of falling!

Debate at the Hay-in-Wye Festival Institute of Arts and Ideas.

We have the impression that science unravels the mysteries of the universe. But with every mystery solved, a new mystery emerges. The Big Bang gave us an explanation for the expanding universe but left the mystery of how it came about. Quantum mechanics accounted for the strange behaviour of subatomic particles, but led to the puzzle of its conflict with relativity. Dark energy made sense of an accelerating universe but led to the mystery of why we have no evidence for it. Is there a danger that we are making a fundamental mistake in imagining science can eradicate mystery, and do we need to think of science differently as a consequence? 

Do we need to abandon the idea that science has the potential to provide a complete explanation?  Should we not expect science to eradicate mystery and instead simply require that its theories work well enough for our current aims and purposes?  Or is the ability to overcome mystery essential to the effective operation of science and a core idea responsible for its success? 

The Institute of Arts and Ideas, Hay-in-Wye festival

Hosted by Professor Alice P. Gast, this conversation will be with Professor Claudia de Rham, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Heba Jemal, 2nd Year Physics student. Throughout our history, we have gathered information from the Universe that surrounds us through the light it emits. We have seen the Universe through our own eyes and instruments. The direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015 has marked the beginning of a new era for science where we are now able to hear the Universe and communicate with it through a new channel. But how much do we actually know about gravity and how gravitational waves propagate? In this event we will discuss how gravitational waves can be used as a privileged channel of communication with the secret dark components of our Universe.

The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK recognized three outstanding physicists in 2020. Physical Sciences & Engineering Laureate Prof. Claudia de Rham, is a theoretical physicist from Imperial College London. She has constructed a viable theory for massive gravity that could hold the answers to many important questions in physics. 2020 Finalists in Physical Sciences & Engineering include Amaury Triaud, PhD an astrophysicist at the University of Birmingham and Prof. Ian Chapman from the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Dr. Triaud searches for exoplanets—planets orbiting stars other than the Sun—and has made major contributions to the discovery of a planetary system known as TRAPPIST-1. Prof. Chapman is a plasma physicist and an international leader in developing renewable energy from nuclear fusion, the same mechanism that powers the Sun and other stars. He also leads the UK’s new national fusion energy project, as CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Scientific Sense ® by Gill Eapen: Prof. Claudia de Rham is professor is a Theoretical physicist at Imperial College London. She develops and tests cosmological theories dealing with a wide variety of concepts, from the early universe and dark energy to the behavior of gravity. She has been particularly involved in developing a new theory of massive gravity concerning gravitons, which are hypothetical particles responsible for transmitting gravitational forces. This work has profound implications for the area of research now dubbed ‘beyond Einstein gravity’, which includes exploring new types of particles in the universe and connecting the theories of gravity with current and next-generation astrophysics experiments. Please subscribe to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ScientificS...

Claudia de Rham is a theoretical physicist based at Imperial College London. Her work at the interface of gravity, cosmology and particle physics won her the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in 2020. She is a tireless campaigner against the underrepresentation of girls in physics and frequently speaks in schools and for other organisations about diversity in the sciences.